SVT Sport has conducted a survey with the Olympic athletes who secured a ticket to the Tokyo Olympics before the pandemic struck.
As for motivation, almost half, ten out of 21, state that their motivation decreased slightly during the pandemic.
"Tough to mobilize force"
“It has been tough to mobilize both force and direction and at the same time be smart in what you do.
Not only for oneself but also the immediate family whose invaluable support is a prerequisite for everything ", writes an athlete in the survey.
"Difficult when all competitions are absent, competition is what I think is most fun and easiest to see development through," writes another.
"Now that there is no audience, I do not feel that sport is the way to go to reach people," writes a third.
Carolina Lundqvist, performance psychological advisor in SOK's resource team, says that they had close contact with the athletes during the year to capture any needs at an early stage.
The answers SVT Sport received to the survey agree quite well with the image she has when she meets athletes.
- That athletes have had to struggle a bit to maintain motivation is not so strange.
It has been difficult with goals and a lot of uncertainty.
It has also been difficult to know what the competitions and the season will be like.
It is something we have had to work with to help athletes with, to see solutions and keep the embers burning, says Lundqvist.
Motivation increased for some
Photo: SVT Grafik
For some Olympic-ready athletes, the pandemic has instead been the motivation.
"When we had a break and could not play matches, I realized how important sport is to me," writes an Olympic candidate in the survey.
"After competitions have been canceled for just over 1 year, I am now very tagged and motivated to get started with competitions again."